SP embarrassed by its Azamgarh V-P's terror

New Delhi: The Samajwadi Party (SP) is in a political quandary after it defended the families of two arrested terror suspects, fearing alienation of its Muslim vote bank.

SP MP Abu Asim Azmi on Saturday said that it was unjust to target the families of Saif and Abu Bashar, who were arrested for their alleged involvement in September 13’s Delhi blasts.

Saif’s father, Shadab Ahmed, was SP’s vice-president from Azamgarh district in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, until the party swiftly disbanded its unit there on Friday.

But not willing to estrange its Muslim vote bank, Abu Azmi, SP's Muslim face from Mumbai, told CNN-IBN that any action against Saif's father is unfortunate.

Abu Azmi brought some more embarrassment for his party after he visited Abu Bashar’s home in Azamgarh last week following his arrest.

Bashar, a close associate of the prime suspect in the Delhi blast case, Tauqeer Bilal was arrested by Gujarat Police from Azamgarh.

Defending his visit to Bashar's house, Abu Azmi said that to target Bashar's poor family would be unfair.

The political faux pas comes at a time when the party has been defending UPA, saying the Government is firm against terror.

Many say political compulsion has forced SP to speak out against ban on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and be quiet on Bashar and his associates.

But with anti-terror policies on the election campaign for the upcoming assembly and general elections, it’s no longer politically prudent for SP to keep mum.

However, in Uttar Pradesh, SP is not the only one who has adopted a tacit approach on terrorism.

Over the years state governments have been reluctant to curb SIMI activities. The Mayawati government, which had introduced an anti-terror law in the state in 2007, withdrew it after the arrest of SIMI activists involved in Ahmedabad blasts.

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